A LegaSea campaign launched 19 July in a bid to save New Zealand's tarakihi, and they need your help. The following information is provided by LegaSea.

Fifty years of trawling, wastage and dumping have taken its toll. Tarakihi populations on the east coast have fallen by 83%. They are now at risk.

A review of stocks between Northland and Otago is underway now with significant cuts to commercial catch limits required.

Tarakihi are important catch for fishers and families, and they in turn support businesses on the east coast, particularly from the Bay of Plenty to the South Island.

LegaSea is working to a tight timeframe. Fisheries New Zealand have only allowed 18 working days to collate public feedback and make submissions.

LegaSea is running a petition to urge the Minister of Fisheries to make the bold - and necessary - decision to apply substantial cuts to commercial catch limits for tarakihi.

SIGN PETITION NOW

How can you help?

Let everyone know that you support taking Time Out for Tarakihi.

• Let's make it viral! Share messages on social media. Post a photo/video of you, your colleagues or family doing the Time Out T symbol with the hashtag #TimeOutForTarakihi
• Order a petition booklet by emailing usand encourage work colleagues, friends and family to sign the petition. Send it back Freepost.
• Consider a one-off donation to support the campaign.

Contact LegaSea if you want to do more.

A little effort by everyone will go a long way. Tarakihi is just another species below abundant levels, working together is the best way we can have an impact and enhance our fisheries.

The facts:

• Commercial fishing represents around 95% of annual tarakihi harvest, recreational is less than 5%.
• Current commercial catches from east coast stocks, between Northland to Otago, are causing a sustainability risk.
• Significant commercial catch reductions are required to rebuild tarakihi abundance. The question becomes - how long we are prepared to wait for that rebuild. The Minister of Fisheries is considering a range of options to achieve the rebuild within 10 or 20 years.We can't wait 20 years.
• The Ministerial decision is required by October 2018.
• The Minister is also considering removing tarakihi from the combined finfish daily bag limit and instead setting a tarakihi specific bag limit, on the basis that it will help rebuild tarakihi abundance. Even if we stopped all recreational fishing it would make no difference to the rebuild because we are only 5% of the total catch. Bag limit changes are being used to reduce recreational access to tarakihi.
• Independent research in 2015 found that 142,000 Kiwis target tarakihi on a day’s fishing. More than half of people who landed tarakihi came home with 4 or fewer fish. This is a major concern given that it is one of the top five inshore recreational fish and the target species for many people south of the Bay of Plenty.

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